The Aam Aadmi Party replaced Raghav Chadha as its deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday amid growing speculation about a rift. The move comes days after the politician was dropped as a star campaigner for the upcoming Assembly elections. Chadha was long considered a close confidante of party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and played a key role in party affairs. But he has been accused of skipping important party events and maintaining prolonged silence on key matters in recent months.
According to a PTI report, fellow Punjab MP Ashok Mittal is set to take over the role from Chadha. The AAP reportedly sent an official letter to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat sharing its decision on Thursday. The party has also insisted that Chadha should not be allotted speaking time in the Rajya Sabha from the AAP quota.
Aam Aadmi Party currently has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha — including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.
Widening rift within AAP?
Chadha was abroad for medical reasons when Kejriwal, the then Delhi chief minister, was arrested in connection with the excise policy case in March 2024. He remained away during Kejriwal’s nearly six-month incarceration and met him only a few days after his release on September 13, 2024.
More recently, Chadha maintained silence when Kejriwal, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and other AAP leaders were discharged by a Delhi court in the excise case last month. He also missed Kejriwal’s press conference and a rally at Jantar Mantar following the court’s relief.
Party leaders claimed Chadha has been increasingly sidelined from political campaigns and organisational matters of the party in other states, although he has been vocal inside and outside Parliament, raising issues such as high air fares and the condition of gig workers.